Chapter 809: Strange Events on the Ship
Outside the black coffin, everyone waited for a moment, but the two red light points inside the coffin remained completely still.
In the distance, the others who had entered this ghost ship together were also watching closely, waiting for the results of Patriarch Dragon King and his group's exploration.
The ghost ship had a fearsome reputation, so they were happy to let others take the risks while they reaped the benefits.
The silence around them was oppressive.
Patriarch Dragon King shot a glance at a demigod. The demigod understood and, channeling his divine power, first cast several defensive divine abilities to protect his body, forming turtle-shaped shields. Patterns of the Mystic Turtle also appeared on his arms. Only then did he steel himself, step forward, and cautiously reach his hand into the black coffin to feel around.
The coffin was very large. His hand was still far from the red lantern light in the darkness. Gradually, the demigod stepped into the black coffin and disappeared.
There was no sound from inside. After a moment, the demigod's voice came from within the coffin: "It really is a lantern!"
Everyone outside breathed a sigh of relief. Patriarch Dragon King also relaxed slightly. They saw the demigod walk out of the coffin, laughing: "The red light in this coffin really is from lanterns, two paper lanterns. I only found one and brought it out. There's no danger inside… Why are you all looking at me like that?"
The demigod held a lantern, looking around in surprise. He saw that everyone was staring at him as if they had seen a ghost, quietly backing away.
Patriarch Dragon King also took a step back, tightening his grip on the dragon-head scepter.
Even he had never seen such a bizarre sight, and he couldn't help but feel tense.
In the distance, Luo Wushuang and the others were also silent. The Lingxiu Army disciples looked terrified at the scene before them.
"Sword God, what's going on?" Huan Longjun's voice trembled as he hid behind the Village Chief.
The Village Chief was an old enemy of the Heavenly Court, and Huan Longjun had nearly died at the Village Chief's hands several times. There was enmity between them, but Huan Longjun still admired the Village Chief the most. Faced with such a strange scene, he couldn't help but move closer to him.
As for his master Qin Mu, Huan Longjun instinctively disliked this brat.
Qin Mu frowned, his gaze fixed on the demigod who had walked out of the black coffin. This demigod held a paper lantern in his hand. The red light from inside the black coffin had indeed come from the paper lantern, but in the darkness, it had naturally made people think of two glowing red eyeballs.
The paper lantern was very strange. When the wind blew, it spun around. There was a face on the lantern, eyes wide open, smiling as it looked around.
But that wasn't what had frightened everyone.
What truly terrified them was the demigod himself. On this demigod's neck sat another paper lantern.
His head was gone without a trace!
His face appeared on this paper lantern, with a nose and eyes, and it was speaking: "What's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"
His face was on the surface of the lantern, while the light inside shone through, as if someone had peeled off his face and pasted it onto the lantern.
The light was dim, and his face flickered with it.
Suddenly, Patriarch Dragon King raised his dragon-head scepter and pointed it lightly. The lantern on the demigod's neck went out!
Slap.
The lantern fell to the ground.
On the demigod's neck, there was nothing. Suddenly, divine blood gushed out. His body swayed, then fell forward, lifeless.
"You will all die…"
The lantern he had been holding also fell to the ground, rolling twice. The face on the lantern showed a sinister smile: "Hehe, you will all die here, then gain eternal life, forever connected to this ship…"
Patriarch Dragon King stepped on the lantern, extinguishing the candle flame inside. His face darkened: "Playing tricks! I am a great god of the Lingxiao realm. To play tricks in front of me is truly reckless!"
He roared, and the dragon-head scepter in his hand smashed heavily into the black coffin ahead. The tall black coffin shattered into pieces, the boards exploding with a bang and falling to the ground with a thud.
His combat power was astonishing. Even the black coffin, sealed by the Four Emperors, could not withstand his blow.
As the dust settled, the coffin boards on the ground let out a series of mournful howls, and bright red blood gushed out from the wood.
Everyone was startled and quickly leaped into the air, not daring to land.
They saw the coffin boards flowing with bright red blood, and on the inner walls of the coffin were people embedded alive. They seemed to have grown together with the wood. Some had faces exposed, like relief sculptures; some had half a chest exposed; and many arms grew out from the coffin.
These hands groped around, trying to grab something. Some faces were twisted, struggling to breathe.
Countless mournful voices cried out: "Save me—"
Patriarch Dragon King was at a loss.
Suddenly, a face called out: "Patriarch Dragon King, it's me! It's me! I am Youfang Shen, the demigod you sent to explore this ghost ship. I'm trapped here. Please, Dragon King, save me!"
Patriarch Dragon King was startled and quickly looked at the man. That demigod was fused with the coffin, growing together with it. He was one of the many demigods Patriarch Dragon King had sent to explore the ship!
He had already sent five or six groups of powerful demigods to explore this ship, including some at the Yao Chi and Zhan Shen Tai realms. But once they entered the ship, they disappeared like stones dropped into the sea, with no news!
He never expected that one of them would appear in the black coffin, grown together with it!
Suddenly, another voice called out: "I am Pan Qiong, a general under the Heavenly Court's Xi Luo Shi Men. Save me quickly!"
"I am Qing An, a disciple of the Eastern Emperor. I've been trapped here for who knows how many millennia. If you can rescue me, the Eastern Emperor will surely reward you greatly!"
"I am Crown Prince Chi Xiao of the Ming Emperor! Who will save me? The Ming Emperor will surely reward you handsomely!"
…
Various voices came. The people on the ship were at a loss. They saw the faces on the coffin boards becoming shriveled. Soon, the voices grew fainter. Finally, the blood drained away, and they all turned into dried corpses, dying with their eyes open.
The blood flowed more and more, slowly flooding the other seals on the deck.
Qin Mu said softly, "Village Chief, look!"
The Village Chief squinted, lowering his voice: "The seals on the deck are devouring this blood. We can't stay on the deck long. Let's leave as soon as possible!"
The deck of this ghost ship was covered with circular seals. The blood plasma was being absorbed by the patterns of those seals, and each seal was glowing with a faint green light.
The runes forming the seals were gradually dimming. The runes rotated, and beneath the deck, rows of black coffins were slowly growing out.
Qin Mu and the others acted quickly, rushing toward the buildings on the ghost ship. The others also reacted and charged in that direction.
Behind them, huge black coffins grew out from the deck, increasing in number until they formed a forest of coffins. The sound of coffin lids falling came from behind them, bang bang bang.
Qin Mu looked back and saw the coffins opening, but nothing jumped out. Instead, pitch-black currents of air burst forth, like headless pythons darting wildly through the air.
A slow demigod was touched by the black air and let out a blood-curdling scream. His flesh dissolved, rapidly collapsing. But his face remained. Some of the melted flesh fell onto the coffins below and fused with them, becoming faces on the wood.
The Village Chief also saw this scene and shuddered several times. He saw the black air darting everywhere, quickly filling the entire deck. In front of them, black coffins also rose up, their lids opening, and black air spread.
Ahead, the coffins formed a forest. The black air was like venomous snakes and pythons, darting around, making it hard to defend against. A demigod shouted angrily. His primordial spirit stood on the Yao Tai of the Heavenly Palace, unleashing divine abilities and techniques with terrifying power. But immediately, the black air drilled into his body, and his flesh dissolved!
The Village Chief shuddered again and shouted, "Mu'er, faster!"
Qin Mu was lost in thought, muttering to himself: "This black air is like a kind of creation divine ability… It is a creation divine ability, but this kind of creation divine ability connects the living and the lifeless…"
"At a time like this, you still have the mind to think about that?"
The Village Chief was furious. He grabbed Qin Mu by the back of his collar and sped off. With a thought, beams of sword light cut a path, severing the incoming black air.
But the black air reconnected as soon as it was cut, impossible to eradicate.
The Village Chief could only dodge left and right with Qin Mu in tow, inwardly groaning.
Huan Longjun hurried to keep up, but saw Qin Mu, who was being carried like a cat by the scruff of its neck, motionless. Yet he turned his body, continuing to stare at the darting black air, muttering something.
"The master is a dao maniac!"
Huan Longjun used his divine abilities to block the black air, but couldn't stop it at all. He grumbled inwardly: "A reckless dao maniac!"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself: "If it's a creation divine ability, then what is this creation divine ability used for? Why did it go out of control? Why are there so many black coffins? What does the Yulin Army time-travel incident have to do with it… What principle does this creation divine ability use?"
Ahead, the black air was thick, and all the black coffins on the deck had opened. The black air enveloped the buildings on the ghost ship, making it impossible to see where they were.
Everything around was pitch black. Cold sweat dripped from the Village Chief's forehead. He stopped, standing back-to-back with Huan Longjun to guard their surroundings.
Just then, moonlight shone in the darkness. Luo Wushuang activated a treasure. The treasure exuded an imperial might, and its light actually forced back the black air. Luo Wushuang led the remaining Lingxiu Army disciples forward along the moonlight.
"Luo Wushuang has a treasure forged by a Great Emperor!"
Qin Mu praised: "No wonder he's so confident. Luo Wushuang, I'm here. Remember who cut off your arm?"
Luo Wushuang ignored him, leading his disciples forward with their heads down, getting far away.
At the same time, Feng Qiuyun was carrying a stone coffin. The coffin opened, and an overwhelming imperial might surged forth. A demigod of the God Emperor level inside the coffin sat upright, forcing back the black air.
"Sister Qiuyun!"
Qin Mu called out loudly: "Remember me?"
Feng Qiuyun's voice came from afar: "I remember! You betrayed the Earth Mother. She wishes she could kill you right now!"
Qin Mu's face darkened. The Crimson Bright God Son turned into a red light, flying through the black air, ignoring him completely.
"The God Son has no sense of loyalty either."
Qin Mu shook his head. The people on the deck each used their own methods. Even the few Heavenly Court guests who had slid down the silver rope from the sky had their own protective treasures.
Qin Mu took out the military tally. As soon as the tally appeared, all the black air suddenly froze. Then, strands of black air quickly flew back into the coffins. The sound of coffin lids closing rang out continuously, bang bang bang. The black coffins slowly sank back into the deck and disappeared.
The Village Chief blinked, looked at Qin Mu, and said softly, "This jade pendant of yours is really the treasure that controls this ship?"
Qin Mu shook his head, honestly replying: "I'm not too sure either. I was just guessing…"
"You!"
The Village Chief was helpless. "Let's keep moving."
Suddenly, a lantern floated down from the mast and flew in front of Qin Mu and the others. The lantern was round and circled around the three of them a few times.
The Village Chief was alert. He pressed his hand on his sword, squinting as he studied the lantern, ready to strike at any moment.
Creak.
A sound of a door opening came from the lantern. The Village Chief was stunned. He saw that the lantern had two doors facing each other. A strange little man, with a bird's head and a human body, about an inch tall, pushed open the door from inside the lantern and looked them over.
The light was blazing, extremely dazzling, coming from behind this tiny figure. The three of them looked inside the lantern and saw that behind this inch-tall little man was a blazing sun!
"Lin Xiao, staff officer of the Yulin Army, pays respects to the Order Holder!"
The little man bowed at the door, very proper, and said: "The Order Holder has become younger again."
Qin Mu blinked, then said vaguely: "Mm. Lead the way."
"As you command."
The little man sat on the threshold. Wings behind him buzzed as the lantern lit the way forward and flew ahead.
The Village Chief was suspicious. His divine sense transmitted: "Mu'er, what's going on?"
"I don't know."
Qin Mu was bewildered: "He might have mistaken me for someone else…"
Ahead, a cluster of buildings came into view. In front of the building platform grew a huge dragon head. The dragon head was actually alive, fused with the entire building. Flesh and wood were connected. The dragon's face was twisted, insane, seemingly in great pain. Seeing them, it shouted: "The heavens and earth can change, but the unchangeable constant is thirty-six! What does it mean? Tell me, what does it mean?"
"This is another ancient god fused with this ship by the creation divine ability, but it seems to have gone mad."
Huan Longjun said fearfully: "This divine dragon's strength is far greater than mine…"
"I'm not mad."
The insane divine dragon suddenly lowered its head to look at them, grinning: "You will eventually be like me, fused with this ship, becoming a part of it… Unchangeable constant, unchangeable constant. Only by cracking the unchangeable constant can you leave…"
"Someone left records here!"
A voice came from inside the building. Qin Mu and the others quickly rushed over. They saw that many people had already gathered inside the building, including the Crimson Bright God Son, the Heavenly Court guests, Feng Qiuyun, and others. They were all looking at the wall.
Qin Mu also looked at the writing on the wall and was stunned: "Senior Brother's handwriting!"
On the wall were words left by Wei Suifeng, the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Sage Sect. But it wasn't about the ghost ship. It was about another matter.
Qin Mu read carefully and was taken aback: "The death of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court's Empress? Why did Senior Brother record this matter on the wall? What does this have to do with the Yulin Army time-travel incident?"
— Four-thousand-word chapter, asking for monthly votes! Zhai Zhu has taken anti-inflammatory medicine and feels much better, but his mouth is bitter, and nothing has any taste~